Help us reclaim land from top civil servants, Oparanya urges NLC

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has asked the National Land Commission to assist in repossessing land allocated illegally to senior civil servants.

Oparanya said that prime plots were allocated to former and current civil servants, politicians and influential businessmen who are demanding compensation for the land.

"We are battling cases where senior public officers allocated plots fraudulently are demanding compensation. This is an area where we require NLC's intervention because the plots are lying idle," Governor Oparanya said.

The governor spoke when he met NLC commissioners Tiya Galgalo and Reginald Okumu who paid him a courtesy call on Friday.

The county government has listed over 300 plots within Kakamega municipality for repossession. Most of the plots are vacant while others have temporary structures.

In April, the county asked affected plot owners to lodge their complaints with the Kakamega Land Appeals Committee.

Some owners have since moved to court and obtained orders barring the government from interfering with their plots.

The county government has lost several cases where it has been sued by landowners for attempting to seize their land.  

Oparanya blamed NLC for allocating repossessed land to some institutions without involving the county government.

"We have areas like Mumias town where the government acquired land and compensated the owners to move out of the land but those people came back and settled on those plots," he said.

The governor asked NLC to support the county acquire leases for several plots to spur development.

Galgalo said the NLC will support the county in handling and resolving issues around illegally acquired public land to speed up development.

"We will fast track the process so that we resolve some of the land issues in the county," Galgalo said.